Lardon Review: The Cotswolds Just Got a Serious Restaurant

We went in the spirit the menu demands: order broadly, share everything, try as much as possible. We did exactly that.

Parmesan Arancini with Truffle

The ideal opening move. Crisp shell, yielding centre, truffle doing exactly what truffle should — present but not overbearing. A confident, classic bite that tells you the kitchen knows what it's doing.

Focaccia with Rosemary & Smoked Sea Salt

Exceptional. Properly dimpled, properly oily, with that smoked sea salt doing just enough to make you reach for another piece before you've finished the first. Bread this good at the start of a meal is either a gift or a trap. Probably both.

Ricotta with Chilli & Fennel Pollen

This one surprised us. On paper it sounds like a side character. On the plate it was anything but — cool, creamy ricotta with a gentle heat from the chilli and something floral and slightly aniseed from the fennel pollen that you don't see coming. Genuinely clever.

Cantabrian Anchovies with Arbequina Olive Oil

No messing around. If you know, you know — Cantabrian anchovies at their best are in a different category entirely. These were silky, saline, and impeccably sourced. The Arbequina olive oil was light and fruity rather than heavy, letting the fish lead. A dish for people who take ingredients seriously.

Boquerones with Parsley & Lemon

Where the Cantabrian anchovies are rich and deep, the boquerones are bright and acidic. The two together make a compelling double act. Order both.

Scallop with Bouillabaisse Butter, Lardon, Fennel

The first serious moment of the meal. The scallop was perfectly cooked — that sweet, translucent centre with a proper sear — but the bouillabaisse butter is what you'll remember. Rich, saffron-hued, deeply oceanic. The lardon adds a smoky, salty counterpoint. This is a dish that deserves the price tag and then some.

Milk-Fed Lamb Shoulder with Broad Beans, Cavolo Nero, Mint

This was the standout of the mains. Milk-fed lamb has a softness and delicacy that regular lamb simply doesn't, and the kitchen uses it wisely — no heavy saucing, no competing flavours, just seasonal vegetables handled well and mint cutting through the richness cleanly. It's the kind of dish that makes you put your fork down and just appreciate it for a second.

Lobster, Brown Butter, Shallot, Gruyère, Capers, Lemon Pizzette

A flatbread that punches well above its station. The lobster is generous for a flatbread format, and the combination of brown butter, gruyère, and capers is richer and more interesting than it looks. The lemon lifts the whole thing at the end. If you're debating whether to order it, stop debating.

Truffle Parmesan Fries

The best fries we've had in a long time. Crispy, properly seasoned, and the truffle parmesan coating adds enough indulgence to make you feel like these were a deliberate choice and not just a reflex side order. They were absolutely a deliberate choice.

Smoked Potatoes with Garlic & Rosemary

Softer, smokier, more contemplative than the fries. A different kind of potato satisfaction entirely. Between these two, you do not need to choose — order both, no regrets.

Gateau Basque with Pastry Cream & Sour Cherry

A proper Basque dessert, and a rarity on UK menus. Dense almond pastry, smooth pastry cream, and sour cherry cutting through the sweetness with welcome sharpness. Exactly what it should be.

Tarte Tropezienne with Vanilla Cream & Orange Blossom

The most elegant thing on the dessert menu. Brioche soft enough to be almost ethereal, vanilla cream generous and fragrant, orange blossom present in the way a good perfume is present — you notice it without being able to fully name it. A genuinely beautiful dessert.

Nonna's Fudge

The meal ended with a small piece of fudge, and it was perfect. Rich, buttery, and exactly the kind of finishing touch that tells you a restaurant thinks about every detail, not just the main event.

The drinks

The cocktail list is worth your time. We had a Between the Sheets and an Aperol Spritz, and both were well made — the kind of drinks that arrive looking right and taste the way they should. Nothing gimmicky, nothing disappointing. A good cocktail list for a restaurant that clearly has its priorities straight.

The setting

This is where Lardon pulls off something genuinely special. There are two outside spaces, and we sat on the terrace at the back of the restaurant. It was absolutely gorgeous — the kind of setting that makes a good meal feel like a proper occasion. Add to that a DJ playing when we arrived, and the whole atmosphere had an energy that you don't often find in the Cotswolds. It felt alive. A summer evening here is going to be hard to beat.

The verdict

Lardon is the real thing. Not a Cotswolds restaurant trying to do European food. A genuinely European-spirited restaurant that happens to be in the Cotswolds — and one that fully understands its own identity from the very first bite.

Honestly, every single dish was a standout — nothing on the table disappointed, nothing felt like filler. But if you're forcing us to pick favourites, the lobster pizzette and the milk-fed lamb shoulder are the ones we're still thinking about. The hosts were lovely too — warm, genuinely enthusiastic about the food, and exactly the kind of welcome that sets the tone for the whole visit.

This is a must-visit. It works for a long lazy lunch, a special occasion dinner, a date night, or simply an excuse to eat very well in a beautiful place. Whatever the reason, it's worth the trip.

Would we go back? We're already looking at the calendar.